Self-cleaning Duck Pond?

[Sosalty]

I've been on a quest for a self cleaning pond for my 3 runners as well. After mo this of trial end error, I now have a pool that on day 10 still has clear water! I'm posting a picture of it. It's a 75 gallon kiddie pool and I want to upgrade to something larger. We have a solar powered pump from Amazon. The top tier waterfall is filled with lava rock and a few layers of filter foam stuff. The blue bucket is also filled with lava rocks and has water hyacinth anchored in it. The pool has guppies, a mesh bag with oxygen plant, and a whole bunch of water lettuce. I'm curious to see how long I can make this water last before it gets nasty! So far I'm very pleased with this natural filtration system.

Your concept is about as simple as any. Look into the gambusia mosquito minnow, same as your guppie, just much hardier.

Google 'natural swimming pools,' they're a big hit in different parts of the country at various times (AnnGlor has 1). If used for swimming and getting the water quality to swimming pool standards, one may spend 2-3x's what a chlorine pool would cost, same for maintenance. If for ducks and some minimal level of cleanliness works, then you can cut a lot of corners.

Take the koi pond concept, pump water thru a filter medium (sand, volcanic rock, ...) get algae eaters ghost shrimp, gambusia.., plant the aquatic lettuce and other plants in a zone to absorb the nitrogen, keep your water temp cool (well below 80f), and shade it. In spite of the near impossible challenge, I think coming up with natural methods (duck_daddy) to help is great.

Water flow is a must. Possibly if your house were at the top of a knoll, you ran water to duck pond/pool and then on to use in a lower garden.

Nature inevitably grows stuff (phytoplankton) in our duck pond/pools, their poo is an accelerant.